


Past Hauntings & New Beginnings

by clokcwork_dragon



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mystery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24073690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clokcwork_dragon/pseuds/clokcwork_dragon
Summary: Garreg Mach Academy; where the children of every rich and prestigious family across Fodlan are sent to study. Seteth has been used to his position as a vice-principal and teacher in it, but he's hesitant about letting his beloved daughter study in such a place after being homeschooled all her life. To add to his worries, the school has to hire a new security guard after the previous one's disappearance- and the new, quite suspicious guard may be an old friend of Rhea's, but Seteth isn't going to trust him in the least, not before unveiling the mystery that seems to be surrounding him.[SetJer slowburn & other secondary pairings. Looking for betas!]
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Mercedes von Martritz, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Flayn/Claude von Riegan, Jeralt Reus Eisner/Seteth
Comments: 9
Kudos: 30





	1. new security & lots of insecurities!

**Author's Note:**

> I am pleased to announce that for once, I'm starting a multichapter fic that has an actual plot/writing plan behind it and that i've written a few chapters in advance. I've had this idea in mind for a while, and I'm thrilled to finally be sharing it! I'm determined to see this fic to its end, and not let months lapse between one update and the other. Plus I love SetJer, and I feel this is the perfect setting for them. 
> 
> Most characters present in FE3H will be included in this story, some less than others. The same goes for ships! 
> 
> I've done my best to scout for any mistakes I might have made, but I'm also looking for a beta reader (preferably a native english speaker!) to help me out. If you'd like to be my beta, feel free to leave a comment about it! 
> 
> Other than that, I hope you guys enjoy the story.

_ Beep. Beep. _

The sound of the alarm rang through the previously quiet room. A repetitive call insisting on being taken care of, or else the owner would be threatened by the possibility of -oh, what horror- being late to work. Seteth stirred, face pressed against his pillow as he flung an arm from under the blanket, blindly searching for his phone.

The alarm only continued to beep, and it took a few fruitless attempts for him to realise he’d been tapping the remote control the whole time. Accepting his defeat, Seteth sat up and grabbed the correct piece of accursed technology and finally silenced it. He proceeded to let out a grunt and fall back on the bed, emerald eyes boring holes into the ceiling in an effort to scrounge what day it was and what he was supposed to be doing.

_ Monday morning… right _ . He’d fallen asleep on the sofa once again. The television wasn’t on, though he couldn’t recall turning it off before sleep had claimed him the previous night. A quick look at the living room table, however, sufficed to remind him he’d probably fallen asleep marking papers.

Well. That was a start.

Seeing him like that, one would have assumed Seteth Assal to be some incorrigible mess of a man, negligent of his duties and with little regard to a proper, organized lifestyle. In reality, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Seteth was a man of schedule, with a deep appreciation for order and punctuality. For example, those papers might have been strewn across the table in a disorderly fashion, but he’d made certain he’d graded every single last one of them before falling asleep on the spot, without even changing out of his work clothes.

No, Seteth was by no means a messy person. It was just… that being a full time professor, and single father to a fifteen-year-old, was quite the challenge. Even for the world’s most dutiful scholar.

“Daaaaddy…” 

Speak of the devil; a girlish voice called sleepily from the second floor, followed by a tousled mass of light green curls peeking from over the wooden railing a few moments later. Seteth sat up, this time decisively getting on his feet and accepting that the day had to begin whether or not he had the energy for it.

“Good morning, Flayn. Slept well?”

The girl nodded, sluggishly making her way down the rest of the stairs and trotting lumbering over to her father in bare feet. She clung to his waist and buried her face in his chest in order to stifle a yawn.

“Still sleepy.” She admitted, nuzzling him, and he picked her up in his arms with a smile. One might’ve said that Flayn was too old for this sort of thing. Though Seteth would’ve doubtless turned any such hints down. She was, and always would be, his little girl.

“What a shame.” He replied as he carried her to the kitchen, “I expected you to be all excited, what with today being your first day at the Academy and all. You were beside yourself the entire summer, demanding that I let you enrol this year.”

Flayn gasped, lifting her head from his shoulder.

“I am excited, I am!” She insisted, emerald eyes suddenly losing all hints of sleep and sparkling in the dim kitchen light; fearful, that perhaps her overprotective father would still have time to withdraw her painstakingly-won application if she showed any signs of regret.

“I can’t wait to meet everyone, students and teachers! Do you think your old students will want to be my friends? Oh- and Auntie Rhea will doubtless be happy to have me there, won’t she? Won’t she, daddy?” 

Seteth couldn’t help a small laugh as he set Flayn down on a chair. His worries hadn’t dissipated, but his daughter’s excitement had served to abate them ever so slightly. 

“She was the one that suggested I let you attend.” He admitted while rummaging through the cupboards for a packet of chocolate powder. Flayn’s favourite morning drink was hot chocolate . “But, if you ever decide you want to go back to being homeschooled, I-“

“No!” Flayn yelped, as if the thought alone had threatened to cause her some manner of physical harm. “Never! I’ve had enough, I want to go to a normal school with normal students and have normal friends! You  _ promised!” _

Seteth toyed with the idea of informing her that Garreg Mach Academy was anything  _ but  _ normal, with anything  _ but  _ normal students, but in the end he decided it wasn’t worth spoiling Flayn’s fun. After all, she was right- he’d promised to let her attend the school he worked at, once she became of age to be admitted.

“Of course… And I won’t go back on my word. But remember,” he set the mug of steaming chocolate in front of her, along with a slice of buttered toast, using that as an opportunity to give her a stern look “you promised, too. You promised to be careful, do not keep any questionable company, be diligent in your studies, and-“

“Yes yes! You don’t need to remind me every passing moment!”

With the airs of an insulted princess, Flayn bit delicately into her toast. The effect of it was dispersed a moment later, when she accidentally smeared chocolate all over her upper lip. Seteth sighed, tenderly wiping her face clean with a napkin. Flayn pouted, but she made no comments against being treated like a child, her eyes too preoccupied with staring at the framed photograph hanging from the kitchen wall.

The picture depicted a young woman, smiling blissfully at the camera. She wore a yellow satin sundress that left her pale shoulders exposed as endless locks of white hair streamed around her face, blown by the wind. Her eyes, a depthless blue, shone with life. Life that had been extinguished, all too soon and all too suddenly. All too painfully.

“Do you think mummy would be proud of me?” Flayn murmured. Protest no longer tinted her hushed voice, and her eyes focused on the portrait in an almost reverent manner. Seteth felt the familiar pang in his heart; the same one that always visited him every time Flayn made mentions of her mother.

“Of course she would, my light. He rested his head on one palm, while his other hand reached out to pet Flayn’s messy curls. “She would be the proudest mother in all of Adrestia. She…”

_ She would have done a much better job raising you. She wouldn’t have let you down in all the ways I did. She would have made you happy. _

As if sensing her father’s grim thoughts, Flayn leaned into his touch in an attempt to console him.

“I’m going to make her proud then. I’ll be a good student, and I’ll get perfect grades, and ace all my tests, so wherever she is mummy will be able to look down upon me and smile proudly.”

Seteth allowed himself a small, sad smile at his daughter’s sentimentalities. Not that he was much different, of course. And he was certainly relieved to see Flayn having a more optimistic outlook on the situation than he did; once again, with a simple sentence she’d been able to lay his worries to rest.

Such was Flayn’s special talent, it seemed.

“Well then, you should hurry up and finish your breakfast.” He got up, deciding to put an end to the conversation before it could seriously affect the girl's mood. “You still need to get dressed, and you don’t want to be late on your first day, do you?”

As a matter of fact, Seteth too needed to change from his crumpled clothes that had inadvertently served as sleepwear, into something more presentable. He didn’t have time to shave, but that wasn’t going to be too big of an issue, so long as he didn’t look like he’d been marking papers until 3 am.

“Right!” Flayn gulped down the rest of her chocolate as fast as she could, then pushed back her chair with so much vigour that it almost got upturned. “Don’t leave without me!”

With that she was already bolting up the stairs to her room, leaving Seteth to gaze sadly at the woman’s portrait a moment longer.

-

First days are always cause for celebration. First day of the year. First day of spring. First day of summer. First day of  _ school _ .

Garreg Mach, like most schools, had a long-running tradition of holding a long array of welcome speeches and a practically unending array of rules and expectations that the students were supposed to behave according to.

_ Un _ like most schools, Garreg Mach had an even longer-running tradition of doing all of the above in the presence of one of Adrestia's most renown scholar and political figure. Who, by mere  _ coincidence,  _ also happened to be the principal of the Academy.

Also by total coincidence, she happened to be Seteth’s older sister. Which to an extent, also explained Seteth’s position as vice-principal. 

“Seteth! I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it.” Rhea looked up from her phone where she was reading up in all the important political and academic news of the day in Adrestia, as one commonly does while taking their morning coffee. 

“Apologies.” Seteth plopped next to her in the dining hall, with about as much grace as a bear freshly awoken from its hibernating slumber. “I slept late, had to mark some papers…”

Rhea raised an eyebrow, looking at him quizzically.

“What papers? It’s the beginning of the year.”

Seteth sighed, helping himself to a mug of plain black coffee and a granola bar that truly looked as if it had spent its entire summer in the Academy storages.

“I know, I know. It’s the Golden Deer’s summer assignment. I have to hand it back to them tomorrow.”

“Oh?” Rhea continued to stare at him as if he’d grown a second head. “That’s unlike you, leaving something to be done on the evening before it’s due. Especially since you had so much time ahead of you.”

“Yes, I… It’s been a hard couple of months. Flayn will be attending here, as you know, and we had to move, and it’s… it’s been ten years since Maleyth’s passing.” Seteth stared down at his mug as he spoke, then suddenly and decisively threw his head back and gulped its contents down in one go. Rhea blinked in surprise.

“I wouldn’t have done that if I were you. It’s not going to do it for your nerves.” Her voice had grown less on the prying side and more on that of sisterly concern. “I suppose that explains it… You could have asked me for assistance, you know.”

Seteth just shook his head.

“You’re burdened enough with being the principal of Garreg Mach and working with the Hresvelgs at the same time. I can’t have you shouldering my assignments as well.”

“I won’t correct you on that.” Rhea sighed, waving her hand in front of her face and taking on an expression of insurmountable struggle. “We had to replace our security guard, as you may know. I had to spend an entire month assessing possible replacements, in all this heat.”

Seteth tilted his head- now that replacement business, was something he hadn’t caught word of at all.

“I’m afraid I’m unaware about this, but I thought you were satisfied by our previous guard’s performances… Did something happen to make you change your mind about him?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” Rhea shook her head.. “Jeritza disappeared a little after the beginning of July. Poor Mercedes is beside herself with worry, and her family is offering up a ridiculous sum of money to whoever manages to find even a trace of their son.”

“That’s… horrible.” Seteth couldn’t help but shudder, as the mental scenario of Flayn disappearing as well played itself out inside his mind. “Is the incident somehow connected to the school? Do we have any clues as to where he was last seen? Goddess, what if Flayn is in danger, now that she’s here too-“

“Seteth, please do try to control yourself.” Rhea cut him off dryly, in a tone that suggested enough experience with intervening between her brother and his bouts of paranoia. “There’s nothing pointing towards a kidnapping, or anything of the sort, occurring inside the Academy premises. Besides, as I was saying, we have already hired a new security guard who has my utmost trust.”

“And how can you be so sure about that?!”

“Because I’m an old friend.”

Seteth jumped, and Rhea let out a delicate chuckle, as a gruff male voice came from behind them.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” The woman commented, watching in amusement as Seteth -looking much like a spooked cat with its fur all standing up- spun around and came face to face with the newcomer.

In that moment, he realised why Rhea might have been inclined to choose him as their new security guard. The man was taller than even Seteth (and Seteth was  _ quite tall _ ), with arms thick enough to compete with a tree trunk and a scar across his face suggesting past experience in physical conflict. His eyes were a dark brown colour and unreadable, while his muddy-blonde hair was shorn at both sides, and a messy, rough beard grew all over his square jaw.

Seteth blinked.

“I don’t think we’ve met.” The other man offered up, disengaging from the uncomfortable silence that had settled between the trio. “I’ve known Rhea for ages, but I’ve never met you in person. Though she’s mentioned you. You must be Seteth, right?”

“…Yes.” If looks could kill, the new guard would have already been a corpse. “Though you appear to know my name, I’ve never heard yours from my sister’s lips before. Why’s that?”

“It just never came up.” Rhea’s tone suggested she wasn’t going to have this conversation, at least not in the middle of the dining hall. “But you can take my word for it, dear brother, Jeralt Eisner can be trusted. Besides, he’s been approved by the other professors already, so we have nothing else to discuss.”

“Why was  _ I  _ not made aware of the decision, Rhea?” The moment he spoke, Seteth knew he shouldn’t have questioned Rhea’s authority in front of Jeralt, and the icy look he received by the woman in question only served to confirm that.

“As you said, you had a rough couple of months. I thought it wise not to bother you further, since you never answered my phone calls.”

That was war, then. Rhea had always been the most assertive of Seteth’s siblings, and even hot-headed Macuil usually refrained from questioning her directly, if only so that conflict could be avoided. But with Flayn’s (and every other’s student’s, to be perfectly honest) safety in the balance, Seteth wasn’t going to back down, and Rhea could try to wrestle him if she damn well wanted to. He  _ was  _ the vice-principal after all, which meant he should have the say in these matters.

But even in his rising anger, he knew this wasn’t the place and time to have this argument. Not if he wanted to actually be taken seriously, and not be verbally reduced to a figurative piece of dung on the Academy’s expensive carpets.

So biting back any sharp retort that came to his mind, he grabbed his coat and turned around briskly.

“Fine then. I’d better go see how Flayn is doing. I’ll see you in the ceremony.”

With no more words neither to his sister nor to the newly hired guard, Seteth stormed out into the courtyard.


	2. the dear deer!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Flayn meets some of the mischievous Golden Deer, and Seteth is actually well-liked by his students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The updating schedule for this will be once every week, or if IRL is getting busy, once every two weeks! I apologise that the first few chapters will be slow plot-wise, as there are a LOT of characters that need to be introduced and a lot of foundation for the modern world to build. But I promise it'll be getting better soon! 
> 
> Anyway, do enjoy Seteth being a stern but loving teacher that his students love... because we know he is canonically good with kids, so it makes sense! Plus, Flayn will be making some delightful friends before the opening ceremony begins!

Seteth realised his mistake the moment he walked out of the dining hall. Rhea was going to have his head for disrespecting her in front of the school’s new security guard. And for disrespecting said guard as well, seeing the two used to be close friends. Not that Seteth knew anything of it. He could tell Rhea was hiding something, but he was well aware she wasn’t going to spare any details, especially after their little argument.

Even so, his frustration remained. The caffeine surging through his veins like a drug wasn’t helping, and he had to shove his hands into the pockets of his suit to stop them from shaking. _What a disgrace._

He had to climb a few old, worn stone stairs (not that this was hard with how caffeinated he currently were) before rounding the decorative hedges along the path that led to the Teachers’ Homeroom.

The path passed through a little opening between the lush trees, in the middle of which rested a picturesque marble gazebo. A group of students had already assembled beneath it, and to his surprise he could see Flayn among them. The sight of her eagerly chatting up with the older students was a balm to his anger, and he was able to force any traces of it down as he walked up to the group.

“I see you’re already socialising, my dear.” He said as he stopped behind his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. Flayn turned around with a pout.

“Dad! I mean… _professor_! Don’t embarrass me in front of my classmates!” She complained, her cheeks turning a vibrant red colour as she moved away from him.

Seteth let out a sigh- it stung, but she wasn’t being unreasonable . They’d already discussed that topic, and he’d promised he wouldn’t show any favouritism towards her.

“Excuse my interruption, then.” He smiled at the other students- most of which he knew from the previous year. “Just wanting to catch up with the rest of my class.”

He looked at the rest of the group; a dark-haired boy with olive skin, a towering blonde teen that could be mistaken for a fully grown adult, a tomboy with cropped ginger hair and a girl whose dyed pink pigtails swayed from side to side every time she moved her head.

The boy was the first to smile at him; well, it was more a smirk than a grin, but that was Claude von Riegan for you.

“Not your class any longer, Mr. Assal. Word’s going around that we’ve been transferred to Miss Casagranda for this year!” He said, casually leaning against his blonde friend’s shoulder; Raphael, who had practically breezed through most of the school’s athletic endeavours during the previous year.

Seteth frowned, though not it wasn’t directed to anyone in particular. The students weren’t the ones who had wronged him anyway, but once again Rhea had seemed to refrain for informing him about something that directly concerned him. He wondered what she was playing at. Regardless, he reminded himself once more that this weren’t the time and place to have a go at it, and that the students had done nothing wrong to deserve a burst of anger.

“I see.” Was all he said in the end, trying to stop his voice from betraying his frustration. “In that case I’d better go find Miss Casagranda and hand your summer assignments over to her… though since I’ve graded them, I imagine you will be swarming _my_ office with complaints.”

Claude grinned like a fox, pinning Seteth down with his stare without a hint of shame or fear, though the older man was almost certain he must be at least _somewhat_ unsettled about the prospects of a low result.

“C’mon mr. Assal, you wouldn’t have given your darling Deer any… _disheartening_ grades, would you?”

“Considering you rascals made my life much harder than it already is for ten whole months, I wouldn’t be so sure about it.” Seteth allowed himself a smirk,, though- truly he was going to miss the Golden Deer students. The other houses were just as good as far as he knew but, he’d come to view those kids as his own nieces and nephews, of sorts. Claude and the rest did have that effect upon people, and he certainly wasn’t immune to their charms. He reckoned they could convince even Rhea to let them pass a class with only a bat of their eyes.

But then again, maybe he was just being a sentimentalist once again.

“I know I must have absolutely _butchered_ the last paragraph…” The pink-haired girl pretended to lament, casting a fleeting look towards Seteth to see if her performance had any effect, “but I was so exhausted by Holst constantly dragging me around to meet all of his business partners! I couldn’t _possibly_ focus…”

“Don’t sweat it Hilda, Mr. Assal never falls for your tricks and you know it.” The ginger cut in. “As for me, well. Wouldn’t promise any miracles, but I think I did quite the job analysing the effect of the treaty!”

Seteth brought the girl’s essay back into the front of his mind- if he recalled correctly, she had barely gotten a passing grade, but she didn’t need to hear that in front of the others, did she?

“I can assure you, Leonie, that you passed.” Was all he said. He hoped this would suffice to put the girl’s mind at ease, but in the end it proved to be a mistake. The next instant, Claude, Hilda and Raphael were practically clinging to his arms for answers.

“Did I pass too? I know I’m more of a sports guy but I tried my best, really!”

“Scoot, Raphael! It is I who should be asking first, my brother will murder me if I fail this!”

“Not to be a drama queen but I am pretty sure my grandfather will have my head on a spike if I didn’t ace this…”

Seteth took a step back. With the corner of his eye he caught Flayn’s hand flying to her mouth, the girl trying to stifle a laugh at his attempts in avoiding being thrown into the ground by the students.

“Enough, enough! Calm down you rebels!”

He let out a huff, straightening his jacket and pretending to think about an answer while the students’ expectant eyes bore holes into him. Though really, there was little to think about.

“If you _must_ know… you all passed.”

The words had barely left his lips, and a moment later he was being jumped on by three adolescents, and an adolescent that could pass for a world-class wrestler.

“You’re the _best_ mr. Assal!”

“Gee, you could have mentioned this sooner and spared us all the worry!”

“My brother will put a good word for you in the next council meeting, I’ll make sure of it!”

Seteth made a few attempts to disentangle himself from the mess, but it was all in vain and in the end he just accepted the hugs and praises and assured the students that he’d put in a good word for all of them to Miss Casagranda in return. In the end he managed to walk away with his pride only _vaguely_ damaged- much due to Flayn’s uncontrollable laughter, though he couldn’t find it in his heart to blame her for it. Goddess, he was truly going to miss the Golden Deer, but currently he had to find out which house he was going to be switched over to. And he had to hand over the assignments to his colleague, as well.

It already felt like a busy year, and the first day had barely even started.

* * *

Flayn watched her father’s retreating form, still biting back small bouts of laughter.

“Who could have thought my dad was so popular with the students!” She said to nobody in particular as she was once again surrounded by the others. They seemed to have taken an interest in her, even if she believed it was only because of Seteth’s position.

She wasn’t going to complain, though. They all seemed such interesting company anyway, and she looked forward to spending more time with them.

“Ya didn’t expect it, little cabbage?” Leonie ruffled Flayn’s primly brushed hair and grinned boyishly at her. The nickname had already stuck, and the younger girl found it too funny to obect. “Is he strict back home?”

“Well he _is_ strict in class too.” Hilda remarked before Flayn could even open her mouth to respond. “He’s just not a… hm…”

“An ass?” Claude offered.

“Claude! Not in front of Flaynie!” Gasped Hilda in pure horror. “What if she’s not allowed to curse? Oh I’m sure she’s not allowed to. _Are_ you allowed to, Flaynie?”

Flayn blinked, torn between hiding her blushing face behind her hands or laughing. “Course not... I don’t even know many swear words to begin with.”

“So innocent!” Gasped Claude dramatically. “…We gotta fix that.”

“ _Claude_!” Hilda glared at the boy like a hawk eyeing its prey. Eventually she must have realised Claude wasn’t going to back down from his mischief, because she sighed.

“As I was saying,” she hopped back on the previous topic “your father is a strict teacher. But… well, he makes class interesting, and he helps struggling students and all that. So we like him.”

“Bummer that he’s being switched out. He often let me bring snacks in class.” Raphael lamented, but Leonie shrugged.

“At least he’s being replaced by Manuela. Imagine if we got _Hanneman_ or something.” She seemed to shudder at the thought. “We’d probably be asleep the moment he walked into a lecture.”

“Wait,” Flayn gasped “miss Casagranda is _Manuela_?!”

“Huh? Oh right, you wouldn’t know, it’s your first day here.” Claude started, but Flayn shook her head.

“I’ve met her before, actually!”

In fact Manuela had come over to their house a few times, helping Seteth organise various events throughout the school year. The two usually worked together to set up field trips, holiday ceremonies and the likes, and Flayn had grown fond of the woman. Manuela had always treated her like a _person_ , not a _child_ , and besides she always brought her little gifts whenever she came around.

Often, Flayn had guiltily wondered what life would be like if her father ever decided to date Manuela. The woman was a natural flirt even when she didn’t have anything serious in mind, but Seteth had never shown interest to anyone after Flayn’s mother had died…

“Flayn? You okay?”

Raphael’s booming, concerned voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She blinked, looking up and putting a quick smile on her face.

“Oh- yes, I’m fine! Just… I guess it only just dawned on me, that I’d be schooled by all the people that often visited my dad!” She giggled at the thought. “Silly of me. Of course I’d meet all his colleagues.”

“Hm, well it definitely makes sense that you’d know them already… Why don’t you tell us what they’re like off-class?” Claude winked, which caused Leonie to give him a light slap on the back of the head.

“Flayn isn’t here to air the staff’s dirty laundry!” She scolded. “And anyway, she’s gonna be in the same position as we are, so she has to keep herself in the teachers’ good graces!”

“That begs the question though…” Hilda mused. “Which house are you going to be in, Flayn? I mean, your house will also determine your homeroom teacher.”

That was something Seteth _hadn’t_ informed her about. Flayn almost laughed again- her father had talked her ears off about everything else _but_ her assigned house, though she supposed it would be safe to assume he wouldn’t be the one teaching her. What a predicament, really.

Well, what _did_ she know? The Blue Lions house was usually reserved for students coming from Faerghus. The Golden Deer house was formed by students coming from Leicester. And the Black Eagles house was reserved for the students who lived in Adrestia, where the school itself was situated. So, would Flayn be put into the Black Eagles?

“Are there only three houses?” She asked, before she could stop herself from thinking it further. The other students looked at each other.

“As far as we know.” Claude shrugged. “There are only three major countries after all, and exchange students from Brigid, Duscur, Morfis or Almyra are distributed according to the reason they’re studying in Adrestia.”

Flayn sighed. “I see. Then I suppose I’ll be put into the Black Eagles!”

“Aw, what a letdown. I looked forward to having you in our house!” Hilda whined.

“She wouldn’t even be in the same class as ours, you nut.” Leonie reminded her. “She’s two years younger.”

Flayn sighed- what a pity indeed. She had come to like the quartet already and was certain being in the same class as them would be tonnes of fun. But Leonie was right, even if she joined the Golden Deer she was going to be grouped along with the younger students instead.

Well, meeting more people was going to be a bit of a stressful situation but, if she looked at it under a positive light, that only meant she’d be making more friends!

Before any more comments could be made on that, however, the clear sound bell rang throughout the grounds of the school. The students looked at each other- the time for the Opening Ceremony had come.

“Well, we better get going. Wouldn’t wanna miss the grand speech that we’ve heard two times already.” Claude started, putting an arm around Hilda’s shoulders casually. Leonie looped her arm through Flayn’s and dragged her along, while Raphael followed. Flayn allowed herself to be pulled, looking ahead at the vast expanse of the towering castles and towers that made for the main body of the Academy. A mix of excitement and fear caused her heart to skip a couple of beats.

She was _finally_ going to be an official student at Garreg Mach…!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you did, kudos and comments are always appreciated ^-^ it makes me so very happy to know y'alls opinion on the story, and to see if people are looking forward to the rest!


	3. the ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Manuela makes an appearance, and Flayn learns the truth about the house-leaders of Garreg Mach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy just adding this note to say that while some of my OCs will be mentioned in this chapter, they have no other role and they're just names to fill up the space in classrooms. Because I figured it wouldn't make much sense if the school only had like... three new students in each class per year. That's all! Enjoy the chapter~

The teaching staff’s Common Room was situated at the first floor of the Academy’s main building. As he pushed the door open, Seteth silently thanked whatever higher power there was for not having to take any stairs. Exhaustion and caffeine rush didn’t mingle well, he’d found.

It was shortly before the Ceremony, and as such most of the other teachers were already there. Only Rhea was missing, since she was still in the dining hall with the new security guard. The mental image of Jeralt’s face must have brought a scowl to his own, because Manuela, who was the closest to him, didn’t refrain from commenting on it.

“You look as if you’ve bit into a lemon, Set.” She said as she took a drag out of her cigarette and let out a puff of smoke. “Well, more so than usual, anyway.”

“Please Manuela, I’m really not in the mood.”

Seteth opened his briefcase and took out the stack of papers he’d been marking all night, handing it to her.

“I heard the Golden Deer are being passed to you. These are their summer assignments, feel free to send the children to me if they have any objections to their grade.”

With that, he passed his colleague and sat down on the nearest vacant chair around the wide, circular table in the centre of the room. Manuela followed.

“Scoot, Hanneman, I need to talk to Set.” She glared down at the grey-haired man, demanding he moved to another seat. He frowned in return.

“Do they not teach you manners in Leicester?”

Seteth was about to snap at them to _not even think_ about starting to bicker right next to him, but there proved to be no need for it. Hanneman von Essar just glared daggers at Manuela a few moments longer, before doing as was demanded of him and moving two seats over. Manuela plopped down on his previous seat with the expression of a cat that had just devoured a fresh tuna.

“So,” she started, leaning close to Seteth and peering over the notes he’d just now began to scribble on a pad “I know you’re not the biggest social butterfly there is, but usually we can exchange a few words without you going all prissy on me. That’s Hanneman’s job after all.”

She laughed at her own joke, and Seteth couldn’t hold back a small sigh.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s… been a hard day.” He explained as laconically as humanly possible. But this was Manuela Casagranda, Garreg Mach’s biggest flirt and grandest gossip digger possible; avoiding her prying had never been an option for anyone, much less a friend.

“It’s not even 9 AM.” She protested. “What could have possibly made you so upset already? Oh- is it because you’re nervous about Flayn? You needn’t be, I’m sure the little angel will be fine.”

“That’s not it. Well, obviously it’s part of the problem, but…” Seteth wondered what was the best way to word this without sounding like a brat. “Did you know we had a new security guard?”

“Jeralt? Why yes, of course I did!”

“Well, _I_ didn’t.”

Manuela raised an eyebrow.

“How could you not know? Rhea sent an email to all the teachers.”

“Apparently she didn’t include me in the recipient list, because I never got that email.” He frowned, putting his pen down and finally looking up at the woman. “And I didn’t know you were going to take over the Deer, either. I only learned it because Claude mentioned it.”

“…Oh.” Manuella blinked. “You believe Rhea is purposely keeping stuff from you? It doesn’t make sense though. I mean, you were going to learn about the guard and the class switch-around anyway, and besides you’re the vice-principal.”

She hadn’t meant for that to be a jab, at least. That was comforting.

“I know, which is what makes everything worse.”

Seteth rubbed at the bridge of his nose, groaning.

“I may have had too much coffee too quickly… as you said, I can’t make any sense of it. I know I was out of reach all summer but, would that truly make her so angry?”

Even while he said it, he knew it could be true. Rhea had always been petty for the smallest of things. However, they were both adults. And to bring a siblings’ dispute in their working environment… well, she might be petty, but she also valued her public image and her pride too much to do something like that.

Manuela didn’t seem to be nearly as concerned as he did, and she waved one hand dismissively while extinguishing her cigarette in an ashtray with the other.

“Maybe she’s having a bad day too. She was all over the place during the summer, what with Jeritza’s disappearance and everything. You knew about _that_ , right?”

“…No.” Seteth couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed by the fact. A man in the school’s service gone missing, and him having heard nothing of it in spite of his position. “As I said, I’ve been away all summer. I took Flayn for a holiday to Rhodos, and then…”

He sighed. Talking about it to anyone but Rhea made it all so much more real and painful.

“It was the tenth anniversary of my wife’s death.” He muttered in the end. Manuela’s well-painted lips puckered in sympathy as she let out a ‘tsk’.

“I’m so sorry Setty… Truly I am. It must have been difficult for you and Flayn.”

She rubbed the back of his hand in an attempt to comfort him, but he shook his head.

“It’s been ten years. I’m handling it.” He assured her, even if he wasn’t so sure about it. “We just… needed some time away. Alone.”

Manuela nodded. “I’m certain Rhea understands…”

“I’m not. And anyway, it doesn’t matter.” He allowed himself a small, bitter smile. “I suppose I’ll keep finding out stuff as I go. Think they added a fourth house while I was gone?”

Manuela smiled, playing along at dropping the subject and acting as if nothing had happened. “Not as far as I’m concerned, but I do think it would be a daring innovation.”

The two shared a quick laugh- Manuela’s always louder. Seteth really did appreciate the effect she had on him. She might not have been the most orderly and responsible person around, but she was a trusted friend. The students often gossiped about Manuela flirting with him, but truly they were nothing to each other but close friends. After all, Seteth was pretty damn certain she and Hanneman had something going on (even if none of them knew about it yet).

“Do you happen to know which house I’m assigned to?” Seteth asked after they’d stopped joking about the number of houses. Manuela snapped her fingers.

“Right! I think you’re taking the Blue Lions.” She paused, thinking about it. “Hanneman is still going to have the Black Eagles, Alois is responsible for sports, Shamir for foreign languages and Catherine is running the swordplay club.”

“That reminds me,” Seteth suddenly recalled that he _had_ heard something about the school during the summer after all, even if only because Flayn saw it in Garreg Mach’s facebook page “you’re running the theatre club again?”

“Oh, yes.” Manuela smirked proudly. “Rhea couldn’t even do away with it for a year without Dorothea, Ferdinand and Hilda threatening to burn the whole school down. So we’re back in business!”

“Goddess have mercy on Shakespeare, then.”

“How rude! I thought you were a gentleman.”

They could have gone on about it for a while, but the door swung open again that very moment and Rhea walked in, in all her elegance and glory. Every word in the room ceased as she looked at them all, one by one. Seteth held her gaze when it landed on him, but even as he refused to back down he felt a chill run down his spine.

_Dammit Rhea, what do you want from me?_

Even if she read the question in his eyes, she didn’t show it. Instead, she smiled at everyone else.

“It’s good to see you all gathered here already. Garreg Mach wouldn’t be what it is without each and every one of you. I hope you’re all ready to greet our new students, and welcome the older ones back home.”

Catherine Charon, from where she leaned against the window overlooking the courtyard, smirked.

“Bet they’re all gonna be so excited to be here. The new ones always look like puppies wagging their tails for a treat.”

“And then cruel reality hits them in the face.” Shamir Nevrand shrugged, tucking a short stray strand of plum-coloured hair behind her ear.

“Nonsense, Shamir!” Alois Rangeld’s cheerful, booming voice left little room for doubt. “They’re attending Fodlan’s finest high school, after all!”

“Alois is correct.” Rhea started, and Seteth had to clear his throat in order to hold back a chuckle when Manuela whispered to him _‘now that’s a phrase I’d never thought I’d hear from anyone’s mouth’_.

“The bell that announces the start of the opening ceremony will be ringing soon.” Rhea continued without missing a beat, though she’d probably picked up Manuela’s little comment. “Why don’t you start lining up outside? We must give the students a proper example of being on time, after all.”

* * *

The courtyard was anything but full.

Having witnessed the sheer _size_ of the Garreg Mach facilities, Flayn had assumed it would be packing with students. But… no. It was just a few dozens of them, and even that may have been overestimating it. When she’d asked Claude about it, he’d just shrugged.

“It’s a _very_ expensive school meant for _very_ rich kids with parents that have _very_ high standards for their offspring’s future. Sounds to me like it’s not meant to host many students in the first place.”

Flayn had to admit that made some sense, though it certainly did nothing to explain why the school would be so big. Or how two of her new friends had been able to attend, even though they were commoners. Well, she was going to find soon enough, she supposed. Or she could ask her father about it, when the ceremony concluded.

For now, she focused on watching the other teachers that had lined up in front of the staff’s Common Room. She recognised Manuela, and the man that fit Seteth’s description of Hanneman. The short, stoud and cheerful-looking man must have been Alois, and the other two women would be Catherine and Shamir; though which was which, Flayn couldn’t be sure of. She recognised her Auntie Rhea, of course, and next to her she spotted her father. They caught each other’s eye, and he smiled at her with so much love and pride, that she couldn’t _not_ grin back and wave her hand a little.

There was another man, though, that Flayn had no name to attach to. A tall, muscular guy who looked to be a bit older than Seteth, with short, dirty blonde hair and an impressive (and somewhat terrifying) scar across his face. No matter how hard she thought about it, Flayn couldn’t figure out who he was.

Her friends, however, were somehow able to provide an explanation once again.

“That’s Captain Jeralt!” Leonie whispered to her excitedly. “He’s a retired police officer that lives in the same block of flats as I. You wouldn’t believe it, but when I was little and my mother was at work, he’d watch over me! He’s such a fun, cool guy!”

Claude rolled his eyes. “Flayn, if you want to hang out with us, you must know one very important thing; Leonie never shuts up about Jeralt. You’d think the man is her actual dad or something.”

Leonie glared. “Well, I-“

“Shh, you two!” Hilda scolded them both before they could have continued their little skirmish. “The principal is going to make her speech.”

“It’s not like it’s new…” Claude muttered, but Hilda stepped on his foot and silenced him effectively.

Just in time, too, because Rhea began to speak a moment later.

“Dear students, old and new,” she started, the kindest possible smile gracing her face “It is such pleasure to welcome you here in our beloved school of Garreg Mach. I see new faces as well as old, familiar ones among you, and it fills my heart with pride and joy. You make our school what it truly is, because it would be nothing but an empty ruin if not for the presence of its student body.”

She paused, and the older students clapped politely. But she wasn’t done yet.

“As some of our freshmen may be unaware of, Garreg Mach consists of three student houses; the Blue Lions, for those of you who come from Faerghus. The Golden Deer, for the children of Leicester. And the Black Eagles, for the students that come from this very country; Adrestia itself. Now that you know this, I ‘d like the three house leaders to come forth and stand beside me.”

Claude, grinning like a fox, was the first to saunter forward and wave at the other students as if he were a king ascending to his throne. Flayn’s jaw almost dropped- how could he _not_ have told her that he was the leader of the Golden Deer?!

Still in mild shock, she watched a blonde boy, and a girl with impressive long white hair, walk up the small number of stairs to stand next to Rhea and Claude. The former handed a list to each of the leaders and spoke once more.

“We begin with allowing the representative of Adrestia’s long-term friend and ally, Faerghus, to announce the students that will be welcomed into the Blue Lions house. Please pay attention to the words of our best sportsman, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd!”

Rhea took a small step back just as Flayn was gasping ‘ _the prince of Faerghus?!’_ to Leonie. If the girl replied back, she didn’t hear it; too distracted by the boy in question, who was already speaking.

“Welcome, students!” He said, offering a charming, sincere smile to the crowd. “I will now call forth those of you that will join the brave Blue Lions. You’re kindly requested to move to the right side of the courtyard upon hearing your name. Now then, our new recruits will be; Annette Fantine Dominic. Ashe Ubert. Catelyn Anduin Deargh. Gawain Hreidunn. Gavriel Hross Baldr. And last but not least, Perscitia Le Fay!”

The children whose names had just been mentioned gathered together like a pack of sheep surrounded by wolves; some very interesting and fun-looking wolves, but wolves nonetheless, if one were to judge by their mixed expressions and fervent chatter in the native language of Faerghus.

“I look forward to meeting each and every one of you up close.” Dimitri continued to smile, and that smile alone seemed so reassuring that the Faerghus students smiled back. “And now, I shall step back for the leader of the Golden Deer to take my place. Everyone, please cheer for our mischievous Claude von Riegan!”

Von Riegan. _Von Riegan. The heir to the Duke of Leicester._

Flayn made a mental note to have a word with her father about him omitting some core information regarding the students she was expected to socialise with. She knew she’d be surrounded by actual nobility, but these two were heirs to their respective countries. That… was _overwhelming,_ to say the least.

“Hey, hey!” Well, she had to admit Claude looked anything but regal as he waved to the crowd, winking and smirking. “It’s an honour to be welcoming the young Deer -or should I say foals?- into our herd! Heh… Anyway. Esteemed compatriots of Leicester, please gather to the left side of the courtyard and all the jazz! Old and new… Right! Our young foals for this year, are: Ignatz Victor. Lysithea von Ordelia. Marianne von Edmund. Florence Anabelle Istria. Kyrilla von Bardolph. And let’s not forget Rosalind von Heres. Cheers to our foals!”

The new students from Leicester rushed over to the group that had been formed by the older ones having moved to the left as instructed. They looked much more excited to be there than the new Lions did, but that might have as well been due to Claude’s confidence proving infectious.

“And now let’s hear it from our gracious, stunning host; make way for the beautiful heir of Adrestia, everyone. None other than Edelgard von Hresvelg!”

At that point Flayn was no longer surprised to hear that the white-haired beauty was an heir as well. There was, after all, something noble about her; from the way she stood, to her serious face and, when she spoke, to her voice.

“It is an honour to have so many of you stand here, in my country’s soil. We welcome you with open arms, our friends from across Fodlan and beyond, and from the depths of my heart I wish you a memorable, educational experience here in our Academy.”

Her smile was softer, smaller than the boys’ had been. But looking at her, Flayn felt she’d meant every word, just as much as they did.

“You who have remained in the centre of the courtyard, must already know you will belong in the Black Eagles house. But your names will be called nonetheless, so they’ll be heard with pride and beheld by all the students. You are our… hatchlings,” apparently Edelgard had decided to play along with her fellow leaders “and do not think that there will be no competition between us three leaders, over which house has the most prosperous freshmen of all! So, without further ado… the new Eagles that will spread their wings and join us are: Bernadetta von Varley. Caspar von Bergliez. Ghislaine Finnr Glendower. Mavys von Aegir. And lastly, Flayn Cethleann Assal.”

For a few moments Flayn didn’t realise her name had been spoken, and when she caught Leonie waving at her from the other side of the yard, her entire face heated up. She looked down at her shoes, daring a few passing glances to the other Eagles around her. A tall, comely girl with lustrous brown hair must have made the connection between her name and Seteth’s as well as their shared green hair, because she smiled down at her. Flayn smiled back as naturally as she possibly could, then returned to staring at the ground.

There wasn’t much else to be said after Edelgard’s speech was also done. The teachers all made a few remarks each, and Flayn caught her father’s voice too when he wished everyone a good studying year to come. She also heard him say he looked forward to working with the Blue Lions students, and that he hoped the Golden Deer would continue to work _just as responsibly_ under miss Casagranda’s guidance (Flayn couldn’t see Claude from where she stood, but she was certain he must have laughed at the responsible part).

Rhea went through a few closing words, and then the students left their orderly positions across the courtyard and began to mingle with each other regardless of house, status or country of origin.

And just like that, Flayn realised she had officially become a student at the Academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is once again sort of an establishing chapter, but we're slowly getting there! Hope you guys are enjoying this and looking forward to the rest. If you liked this chapter, please consider dropping a kudos and perhaps a comment, it feeds the writer ;)


	4. friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Flayn feels strange about the library, gets distracted by the other Eagles, and makes even more friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late with this update, but I haven't abandoned the story! The chapter was ready, but I'm having a bit of an issue with my writing and felt insecure about posting it. I'm still struggling a bit with my portrayals and writing style so i was worried lmao. But, I figured the more I write the better it gets, so here we go! I hope you enjoy!

In hindsight, Flayn should have expected to be swarmed by the Black Eagles as soon as the Ceremony had concluded. She _was_ a teacher’s child after all, which she imagined granted her some kind of status in the eyes of the other students. She could understand that.

What she _couldn’t_ understand, is why the heir of Adrestia would choose to speak to her so amicably.

“And you must be Flayn.” Edelgard had approached her and the other freshmen as soon as Rhea had given her the get-go to return to her group. “I’m glad to have you as a member of our house. I know you heard my name already, but I would like to introduce myself properly anyway; I’m Edelgard von Hresvelg.”

She extended her hand, and Flayn stared at it for a moment before she realised that she should probably shake it. Hesitantly, she offered her own hand as well.

“Ah, thank you your highness- um… princess? Lady?” Perfect, she was already making a fool of herself. But what did one call the child of a prime minister, anyway? Flayn just wanted to run away and dunk her head in a bucket of cold water.

Edelgard, however, just smiled.

“Just call me Edelgard. We’re all students of the same status in the Academy, so no need for any of that formal nonsense.”

Flayn blinked, surprised.

“A-Alright… Edelgard.” It felt a bit strange, but in the end it probably wasn’t going to make much of a difference, was it? Flayn was glad to be done with the awkward part nonetheless.

“Good.” Edelgard turned to the other students. “We won’t be having proper classes today, but I’m sure the principal expects me to show you around to our homeroom and the rest of the Academy. Follow me.”

What followed was a quick tour around the grounds of Garreg Mach. It served to answer many of Flayn’s question about the size compared to its student body; the classes were vast, but there were only about twenty desks in each. They were large big enough to fill the space, and Flayn wondered what one student could do with so much desk space in their disposal. It seemed like an exaggeration, but then again this _was_ Fodlan’s most prestigious, expensive school. She supposed a bit of luxury was called for.

The Academy also offered a lot of spare classrooms for club activities, competitions, an amphitheatre in which the drama club held its meetings, an archery range, and a huge library with three floors. The library was located in a separate building all on its own, and Edelgard led them close enough to it to be able to take a quick peek inside.

When she walked into the building, Flayn paused for a moment, overtaken with a bizarre feeling. While all the students were looking at the massive shelves in awe, she couldn’t partake in that enthusiasm, distracted as she was by that… calling. Yes, it felt like a _calling._ It wasn’t something she could hear, but rather something she could feel inside of her, pulling her towards…

“Uh… e-excuse me! Edelgard?” Flayn felt all the blood rushing to her face as she interrupted the house leader, and everyone turned to look at her. Nobody seemed to be planning on stopping her however, so she went on. “If I may ask, is there anything behind that door?”

Edelgard’s eyes travelled to where Flayn’s finger was pointing: the old, wooden door at the far side of the building, with a sign that read “staff only” hanging from it. She pouted thoughtfully.

“Just cleaning supplies I guess. Or archive records.” She answered eventually. “We’re not allowed to go in but, I don’t think we’d find anything interesting. Why do you ask?”

Flayn blushed. She hadn’t had time to see the sign earlier, and now she felt like a complete idiot. There was no way she could tell all these strangers what she was feeling, no matter how nice Edelgard seemed. Besides, it was probably all in her head. Overexcitement, nervousness, and an old-looking library that could hold immense secrets beneath it-

_No. Focus! There’s nothing in there._

“Ah, I see! Thank you and I-I’m sorry for interrupting!”

Edelgard didn’t seem to mind, and she just smiled and nodded as they made their way out of the library and back to the courtyard. The tour ended shortly after, and everyone began to scatter to meet up with old friends or wait for their parents. Flayn stood about awkwardly for a moment, wondering if she should call her dad, until the charming brunette that had smiled at her earlier walked up to her.

“Fancy, eh? When I first saw that library, I also wanted to explore every little forbidden inch of it.” She said. “The students and even the teachers make up all kinds of rumours, I imagine your dad must have told you all about the history of this place.”

Flayn looked up at the taller girl, blushing and unsure of what to say. “I… Um…”

“I’m Dorothea Arnault, by the way.” The girl winked, passing her arm around Flayn’s shoulders and masterfully changing the subject. “Garreg Mach’s resident diva and probably the only _not-noble_ of the Eagles. Really, it’s fun to watch are those spoiled little birds fight it out amongst themselves, don’t you think?”

“Uh… I suppose…?” Flayn wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that without offending anyone, but Dorothea being a commoner gave her an excellent opportunity to ask a few questions. “But uh, if that’s alright to ask… how do commoners get admitted into Garreg Mach?”

Dorothea chuckled, rubbing the fingers of her free hand together in a gesture that meant _cash._

“I happen to have a few… _connections_ in the school, so I got a recommendation letter that earned me a discount on the entrance fee. Then I found a summer job that paid well, and saved up enough money to cover the tuition fees. Oh yeah, I’m just _that_ cool.”

Flayn laughed a little, thinking that she liked Dorothea already; her easy-going manners, her charming smile and her confidence even though she was a meagre citizen surrounded by the crème de la crème of Fodlan political families, and the fact that she was already treating her as a friend and was _not_ asking about her father in any weird or invasive way.

She would have liked to ask more, but at the moment two older students came up to introduce themselves.

“Hi there! I’m Ferdinant von Aegir!” One of the students- a tall, handsome boy with light ginger hair declared. “I’m sure you’ve heard my dad’s name thrown around. But really it’s no big deal, you can just call me Ferdinand.”

“Or Ferdie!” Dorothea called out, laughing at the surprised expression on the boy’s face. “Ferdie-bee!”

Edelgard shook her head but, by the smile on her face, one could easily see she was enjoying her classmates’ shenanigans. The other student, a girl with slightly darker skin, whose burgundy hair was pulled into an intricate braid, laughed as well.

Flayn had half-made up her mind to go and introduce herself properly as well, perhaps joining in on the conversation. Little bit of socialising never hurt anyone, did it? But then, she spotted one lone girl, standing apart from the rest of the group and looking as if her greatest wish at the moment was for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

Without a second thought, Flayn walked up to her.

“Hi!” She started, extending out her hand, “My name is Fl-“

“Ah! I’m sorry! Whatever I did I’m sorry, just don’t come near me!” The other girl jumped back, looking at Flayn as though she was about to chop her head off with an axe. Flayn took a step back as well, mostly out of surprise and confusion.

“Uh, um, sorry…?” She stammered, unsure of how to handle the situation. “I um, just saw you were alone, and-“

“I like to be alone! Alone is _nice_. What’s _your_ problem with it, huh?!” The girl puffed up her cheeks, glaring at her while also looking like a deer caught in the headlights. An interesting a downright baffling combo of expressions, to be fair.

“I just thought that… maybe you’d like to uh… come with me?” At that point she was rapidly running out of ideas on how to approach the other student, but she hoped that would do. “I’m new here too, so, we could stick together!”

The girl’s grey eyes widened even more- if that was possible.

“You’re… new too huh?” She muttered, for a moment pushing away her obvious panic. Flayn smiled in relief.

“Yeah! It’s my first time here too.”

She held her hand out again, and watched as the girl slowly, tentatively, shook it.

“I… I’m Bernadetta von Varley.” She said, then pulled back her hand as if she’d been burned. She seemed less likely to run away screaming than before, though, which Flayn took as a good sign.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Flayn Assal-“

That had been a mistake, because Bernadetta let out a yelp and jumped back again, inheriting the same terrified expression as before.

“N-No way… _You’re mr. Assal’s kid_?!” She whimpered, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

“Yeah but- ah, really, it doesn’t matter! My dad is really nice and I’m sure he doesn’t mind-“

“I-I-I gotta go! Really, I gotta go!” Bernadetta took more steps back, looking over her shoulder as if she expected Seteth himself to appear out of thin air and condemn her for the atrocious act of trying to befriend his daughter. “I, um, I’m late! My father will be looking for me, he knows we have no class and um, he’ll be waiting… _bye_!”

And with that she spun around, taking off and running away so fast Flayn could have sworn the girl had been doing that her whole life. Flayn pouted, hurt flickering across her face although she knew Bernadetta was no longer able to see it.

Edelgard must have seen it though (Bernadetta’s screams of terror had been enough to alert most of the other Eagles) and had walked up to Flayn in the company of Dorothea and the girl with the plaited hair.

“Don’t worry about Bernie. She’ll come around.” Edelgard said in a tone that implied she knew the younger girl well already. “She’s been like that ever since I can remember, but once you earn her trust she’ll stop being _… like that_.”

“You know her?” Flayn asked, and the white-haired girl nodded.

“She’s my cousin. Very distant to the point we’re not even certain who the common relative even is, but we’ve been around each other ever since we were little.”

“She seems to have a lot of scare.” The girl with the plait commented in an accent that Flayn couldn’t quite place. “Like uh… a deer in the headflash!”

“Headlights.” Dorothea corrected. “Flayn, this is Petra Macneary, an exchange student from Brigid. She’s got a bit of trouble with the Fodlan common tongue but really, she’s a genius.”

“Don’t uh… exaggerate, Thea.” Petra said decisively, before turning to Flayn. “You’re the child of mr. Assal, then?”

Flayn nodded. “How did you know?”

Petra pointed at her own head. “The hair colour. It’s… strange. And pretty!”

Flayn blushed a little, but smiled. “Thank you!”

Then at an impulse, she decided it was proper to return the compliment and added quickly, “I love your braid!”

At that, Petra beamed with pride. “It’s traditional in Brigid! I can put your hair in a braid too! Would you like that?”

“I’d love that!”

“We can all do each other’s hair and makeup and dress up pretty.” Dorothea joked, to which Edelgard groaned.

“Please, no more dresses and heels. I’m having enough of them as it is.” She bemoaned, earning a laugh out of the older girls.

“Hey, Flayn,” Dorothea started “Edel, Petra and I are going out on the town tonight. Wanna come? We gotta celebrate you officially entering the highschool life!”

Flayn had half a mind to say yes, but a nagging voice at the back of her head reminded her of something she had almost forgotten about.

“I gotta ask my dad first…” She pouted a bit. “I don’t think he’ll let me go out on a bar or anything like that.”

“Oh, right.” Dorothea tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well then, how about the movies? We can watch something PG-13 and take you straight home after. He won’t be able to object when all three of us will be watching out for you.”

“Uh… you don’t have to change your plans for me!” Flayn blushed, fiddling with the zipper on her knitted jacket. Seteth had knitted it himself for her, and she felt the sudden need to run and hide her face in her father’s chest, only so she could deal with her sudden embarrassment.

“Nonsense.” Edelgard smiled in that older-sister-smile of hers. “Personally I prefer a movie to a nightclub anyway. Plus, you’re one of us now.”

Petra and Dorothea seemed to share the sentiment, so Flayn eventually agreed to it. Besides, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter excitedly at the prospect of going out with friends. It was something she’d never had before…

The three exchanged phone numbers and a promise that they’ll meet in front of the nearest movie theatre at 8 p.m. Then Flayn said her goodbyes and left for the teacher’s Common Room to find her father, fervently hoping he wouldn’t object to her going out with the other girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I'll be able to adapt my usual style into one that fits the casual, modern setting of this fic a bit more! And also maybe make my chapters less dragging. Anyway, next chapter coming in a week as usual! Hope you enjoyed that one, and if you did please consider leaving a kudos and maybe a comment. Helps tonnes!

**Author's Note:**

> And we're in; this is definitely a bumpy start between the two dadsTM and Rhea's bitchy shenanigans aren't making it any easier. The next chapter has already been written, and will be posted sometime within the next week- so look out for it! 
> 
> So far I hope you guys are interested, and remember- if you enjoyed it, please consider hitting the kudos button and leaving a review! It means so much to me and definitely gives me motivation to continue!


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